Voice of Silence
by Ninjalinda
Summary: Sequel to "Songs of silence", set 20 years after.Based on the live action movie Asterix at the Olympic games. I thought long about how to write the sequel, I wanted Blanche to be pregnant after Silenceus left in the first story. I watched the movie and realised that Stephane Rousseau, who plays Lovesix, looks like a younger version of Michael "Bully" Herbig, who plays Silenceus...


Authors note: I don't own any of the canon characters of Asterix the gaul. They all belong to Dargaud, Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. I do own Blanche and any other characters I've made up for the story. This story is based off the characters of the live action movie "Asterix at the Olympic Games", taking place at the same time.

Voice of Silence

By Ninjalinda/LittleRedToyota

Chapter 1

Blanche sat outside her house, knitting a basket of some straw Asterix had collected for her. The sun was intense, making her sweat and warm, but she didn't dare to loosen her clothes. Even now, over two decades after her romance with the Roman centurion, people would talk behind her back and spit at her. It was best not to provoke them unnecessary.  
She stopped for a moment, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. Life had of course turned better over time, and she also had some support among the villagers. She leaned back, closing her eyes against the sun, with a small smile on her lips by the thought of her friends. Asterix, Obelix, Impedimenta, Fulliautomatix… the blacksmith pretended to be all rough and tough, but when he thought he was unseen, he visited her to see if there was anything she needed. Unhygienix often gave her a little discount, though she hardly bought anything from him. She couldn't stand the taste of fish, but she forced herself to eat some now and then, just for health's sake. How healthy it was to eat Unhygenix' half-rotten fish could be discussed though…  
Cacofonix, her ears hurt just by thinking of him, but still her lips curled up in a smile. He had also been a support to her… but she really wished he could do it without singing it…  
And then there was Vitalstatistix. The Chief had softened up throughout the years, though he still reminded her that what she had done was unforgiveable…  
"Daydreaming, mom?" a young, male voice said gleefully.  
"Just taking a little break, Lovesix." She opened her eyes, smiling to the young man. Her beautiful, cheerful son. His brown hair was a bit messy today, and his brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight. Her heart skipped a beat when it struck her how much he reminded her of his father. She swallowed hard, still the thought of Silenceus was painful. It had been over twenty summers since he left… but it still felt like it was yesterday. Only his son proved that years had passed since her short romance with the mute praetorian.  
She sighed. Silenceus didn't even know about Lovesix… and she had no idea how to contact him or if he was still alive. It had been so many years…  
Lovesix was fully aware that his father was a Roman soldier, she had promised herself to be honest about his heritage and what she had done. It was better that he heard it from her, than from someone else.  
Thankfully, the villagers had accepted him as a member of the village, and even though he had been mildly bullied in his childhood, nobody ever said a bad word about him now.  
Everybody had to love Lovesix, she thought and gave him another smile. He was charming and friendly to everyone.  
"Oh mom… I'm so in love…" he said with a smile, having a dreamy look on his face.  
She couldn't resist a giggle. He was always so into everything, he could never hide his feelings, they were always painted all over him. As if that weren't enough, he wrote poems about everything and everyone crossing his path.  
"I'm not surprised, hun. It's written all over you!" she chuckled.  
Lovesix held up a coin.  
"Look! Isn't she wonderful?"  
Blanche frowned. "It's a coin, son…"  
"No no, look at it!" he held it closer to her face. A portrait of a beautiful woman was engraved into the metal.  
"Uhh…?"  
"Princess Irina of Greece…" he whispered in awe, holding the coin to his heart. "I've been writing poems and letters to her for a long time… I am planning to go see her!"  
"To Greece?! Are you out of your mind, son?!" Blanche protested. "That's far away!"  
"Mom…"  
"No way! I won't allow you to go on such a journey!" she kept going.  
Lovesix just listened until she was done ranting. Then he gave her a firm, serious stare.  
"Mom… I am almost 20 summers old! I have my own house, my own life… I don't think I have to ask for your permission to go anywhere. And… you would love to have grandchildren someday, right…?"  
Blanche stroke a hand tired over her face. He was right, she couldn't protect him forever. He had to get out into the world and make his own experiences and form his own future.  
"Yes…" she sighed. "But Lovesix…. A princess? What makes you think she would even look twice at you? You're just a peasant…"  
Lovesix looked down at the grass for a moment, chewing on her argument.  
"I… don't know." He mumbled. "But I will never find out if I don't go…"  
Blanche took his hand in hers. "Lovesix… you'll always be my little baby boy. I can't help it, but I will always be ready to protect you from everything. I just have to realize that I can't keep you by my side forever… and who am I to judge you for following your heart? You're living proof that I once followed mine…" she released him, looking down at the ground. "Go and live your life, son." She looked up and smiled sad. "Pay your mother a visit from time to time, ok?"  
Lovesix stood up, then he bent down and lifted her up in a tight embrace, hugging her tightly.  
"I promise, mom. Thanks for supporting me!"

*

Asterix stood by her side the next day, when Lovesix bid the village farewell and started his long journey to Greece.  
"It's strange how fast time flies…" he mumbled as he watched the young man walk away. "It seems like it was yesterday I was watching his father walk away, also on the way to Greece…"  
Blanche just nodded, her son's silhouette became blurry from her tears, she turned away and walked back home. Asterix held her arm, supporting her as she couldn't see clearly.  
"He'll come back one day, Blanche. He's a good kid." He said.  
"I know he will… we raised him well, Asterix." She smiled through tears.  
Her thoughts travelled back in time, to the time when she found out she was pregnant. It had of course fuelled the grudge the villagers carried against her. Pregnant with a Roman…  
Asterix had been such a huge support for her through that time, like always. He had even offered her marriage, to ease the shame of being an unmarried mother, but she had declined. She couldn't drag his honor into the dirt along with her. This shame was her own, hers only. She had to take the consequences of her own foolishness.  
"Let me at least be like a father to the child." He had begged, and she just couldn't say no to that. Together with Obelix they had raised the little baby boy to become the man Lovesix was today. Impedimenta had been a huge help too, she had never gotten any kids of her own, so she had a lot of love to share with Blanche's son, despite him being of Roman origin.  
"A baby should never be held responsible for its parent's actions!" she had stated in front of the whole village when someone confronted her with it. And the villagers had accepted it, letting Lovesix into the fellowship as any other Gaul. Even if his mother were not accepted, the child did not suffer from having a Roman father.  
His name… Lovesix. It had come to her one night when she couldn't sleep, she had looked at the newborn boy beside her. She thought of Silenceus and felt how her heart was bleeding by the thought that he would probably never see his son. She cried that night, heartbroken from being separated from her love… lovesick… and thus she called her baby Lovesix.  
It felt so long ago, but yet like it was yesterday…  
Blanche rubbed her eyes, pushing the past away, getting back to the future. Asterix smiled to her, like a proud father would have done. Lovesix had always been like a son to him.  
"He'll make us proud, Blanche." He said, his voice sounding so sure.  
"He's made us proud already." She replied, looking back over her shoulder, but Lovesix had disappeared in distance.  
Her baby boy had gone out to conquer the world…  
"Teutatis… hold your hand over him and look after him for me, will you?"

To be continued…


End file.
